To boost 3rd-grade reading, Michigan may hold back more kids

Third grade is a key benchmark because it's the last year students learn to read before reading to learn.

Credit Steve Carmody / Michigan Radio

They have unspecified plans to improve kids' literacy long before they're 8 or 9 years old. But it remains unclear how far policymakers will go to deal with students who still aren't reading well enough by the end of third grade.

Legislation forcing pupils who aren't proficient in reading to repeat third grade stalled in the Legislature last year.

Snyder's expected to soon propose additional spending on prenatal-to-third-grade programs. He also plans legislation to create a commission to propose recommendations.

Snyder also appears open, however, to retaining third-graders who do poorly on a standardized reading test.

Third grade is a key benchmark because it's the last year students learn to read before reading to learn.

Michigan recently increased the time spent on mandatory testing for eleventh graders, in some cases requiring eight partial days of testing. Educators across the country are concerned about the growing number of tests kids must take and how the time spent on them detracts from actual learning. But if you cut back on standardized tests, what can we do to gauge student learning and, in turn, teacher effectiveness?